Earring Obsession

I had a plan for today~photograph the work I’d done this week, then post it on Etsy. But a quick trip to a bead sale last night put an end to that! I was too inspired to just take pictures. I had to create some more earrings. Here’s a couple of pix taken on top of the latest Bowers Museum members newsletter.

Here’s what I’ve done this week~so far.

I love Happy Bunny and just had to upcycle these pieces I got at various sales. “It’s all about me”. Gotta love that!

I love doing the Byzantine pattern and I hope guys will like this black and silver version.

And here’s a sampling of all the earrings I’ve made this week. I’m really having fun branching out a little. I used to just take a headpin and stack things on it. Now I’m having a blast using chain, wrapped loops and jump rings.

The weather is warming up, dang it. I’ve reveled in the May Gray and June Gloom, enjoying the coolness as long as it lasted. Oh well, this too shall pass!

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OC Fair Adventure, Bear Chick Style

Today, I entered the Orange County Fair for the first time. DUH! I read and reread the instructions and for the life of me, I would swear they said the fair provides the displays for jewelry. *sigh* I actually meant to bring one of my own busts, just in case, but it slipped my mind. So I got there today and realized that, indeed, I needed to supply my own display.

Luckily, I had brought along The Husband and, since we planned to have dinner at Ikea, where I get some of the display props for my show booth, he suggested we look there after dinner for something appropriate. And if we did find something, that would save me having to come all the way back tomorrow.

So, after a dinner of Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes (me) and a turkey wrap and fries (The Husband), we set off to find something to hang an orange, blue and clear necklace from. Pillows, frames and various cooking implements were rejected.

Then, like a miracle (cue the heavenly choir), the very thing I needed caught my eye in the bathroom section. It’s actually a cotton pad holder with three small, graceful legs and an opening with wavy sides. I took off the necklace, overturned the pad holder and voila! The necklace actually frames the opening and, with the chain hung around one of the legs, hangs to the perfect length. One thing I noticed when I was at the Fair was that most of the displays were black velvet. I loved the fact that the pad holder is brushed silver metal, so it will really stand out among the black.

Here are a couple of horrible camera phone pix taken in a rush, but hopefully you’ll get the idea.

I don’t expect to win anything, especially having seen some of the beautiful work there tonight, but I did get a free ticket to the fair and a purple ribbon just for entering! So I’m a pretty happy girl.

Hope you get to the Fair this year~Look for The Beaches of Orange County!

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Palm Springs Anniversary

Our 29th anniversary was this weekend. We spent a nice, relaxing Sunday having lunch at Tom's Farm in Corona and then vegging at the hotel. Monday, The Husband wandered around one of his favorite places, the Palm Springs Air Museum and I wandered around the uptown area on South Palm Canyon. Here's a few pix.

Sorry these don't look more appealing but you have to believe me when I say, Irish Nachos are the best! Melted cheese, bacon bits and green onions (or maybe scallions~you're not dealin' with Martha Stewart here...) over fries. Dipped in ranch dressing~Nom Nom!!

Here I am with my astrological sign, Leo, in the Tom's Farm's statuary shop.

Calling Cinderella! This carriage makes tours around Tom's Farms.

Gotta love a horse with bling! We asked where you get a manicure like that. The young lady driving the wagon said, "My backyard!"

The Husband with a plane engine at the Air Museum. Disregard the date, we are not one with our camera...

We had a lovely time. Next year, we're hoping to bring you pictures from Alaska!

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Yart Sale Additions & Real Byzantine

Hope I’m not boring you with the Yart Sale stuff… But I added a few pieces today, mostly silver chains--they kinda qualify as white :-) See them in the Yart section HERE or click a pic below.

Here’s a preview of the Byzantine necklace I made at the art show last weekend. I just got an order of more aluminum rings in all colors, so I’ll be having more fun with those in the upcoming weeks!


I love this bright blue! And I did the actual Byzantine this time, not my Byzantine ala Mare *giggle*

Think guys will like this with a little black or copper color mixed in?

The Husband and I are celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary this weekend. I wasn’t one of those girls who dated a lot or dreamed about their wedding, spending hours thinking about dresses and flowers, so it always amazes me that my life has taken this path. I’m one lucky girl!

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Red, White & Blue YART Sale

The Etsy YART sale has begun! I was looking over my inventory last night, trying to determine what to put on sale and I realized I had a lot of reds, whites and blues. I love working to a theme, so I’m doing the Red, White & Blue YART sale.

Here’s a few things you’ll find on sale:

Record Album earrings, made with real vinyl

Vintage dress/shoe clips

Lampwork earrings

This link will take you straight to the sale: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5175580&section_id=6190298

And it’s not too late to become a Bear Chick Facebook Fan and take advantage of a special I’m running in conjunction with YART. Find me here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bear-Chick/40472594959

I hope you’ll stop by the YART sale and find something groovy for yourself or a friend.

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Festival Booth Set Up

Ever wonder how those art fair booths get set up? Do they magically appear, like mushrooms in moist weather? Nope. Let me show you.

The canopy is up and the tables are naked.

Table cloths cover the tables.

The left table has two upended trash cans, a big wooden box and a cardboard box to either side. The right table has a wooden plank set on two terra cotta planters.

Silver velveteen covers the unsightly boxes and plank. Busts (on the left) and necklace holders (on the right) appear, plus some mirrors and trays.

Jewelry has arrived!

The trash can earring displays were very clearly trash cans~which actually led to some interesting conversations, particularly about Ikea. I don't think you can see the mirrors on the table, but I put my memory wire bracelets and a couple of necklaces on them. The mirror really gives such depth to the display and reflects the jewelry's sparkle.

These three necklace holders looked pretty cool until a freak wind blew them down. Another artist helped up us pick everything up and since it was close to the end of the day, I put them away for fear it would happen again...

My goal is get this set up looking as good as I possibly can. I know the tables need to be higher, but that means I'll need new table coverings ($$). I also want to create some great earring cards and a better way to display them ($$). So many things I want to do to ramp up my booth, so little $$. If anyone has ideas for me, let me know.

The show we did today was very pleasant, as always, but the foot traffic was definitely down. Lots of nice artists and a few lovely customers and I sold a few things, so I consider it a success.

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Bear Chick’s Facebook Fan Page

The Day Job has been busy since some folks are on vacation, so I haven’t rolled out the Bear Chick Facebook Fan Page yet. I was trying to think of a good deal to roll out the Fan Page with and lo and behold, I was reading an email from Etsy today about the Yart Sale happening next week. A Yart Sale is basically a combination of Art and Yard sale. Besides having a Yart Sale section with great deals on my jewelry and even some vintage pieces, there’ll be a special deal for my BC Fans.


Here’s where you can become a fan: Facebook or just enter Bear Chick in the Facebook search.

The Yart Sale technically runs from June 10th to the14th but I’ll be in Palm Springs the 14th and 15th, so you get a little extra time to take advantage of my deals!

If you’re in the OC or nearby this coming Sunday, I hope you’ll come to the Celebration of the Arts in Yorba Linda. It’s really a cool event, with 100 or so artists and craftspeople, plus continuous entertainment and goodies. Here’s where we’ll be from 11AM to 5PM: Yorba Linda Community Center, 4501 Casa Loma Ave, Yorba

Linda, CA Click here for more info:

http://www.artsyl.org/celebration_of_the_arts.htm

Hope to see you there!

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